Nursing numeracy by nation

Nursing numeracy across the UK and Ireland

What is the same in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland, and what depends on your university.

Short answer: The NMC regulates nurses in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, so its programme standards, including the health numeracy assessment passed at 100%, apply across the UK. Each university designs its own assessment. Ireland has a separate regulator, NMBI.

Nursing numeracy by nation

NationRegulatorWhat varies
EnglandNMCYour university sets the format and attempts
ScotlandNMCYour university sets the format and attempts
WalesNMCYour university sets the format and attempts
Northern IrelandNMCYour university sets the format and attempts
Republic of IrelandNMBICheck with your programme and NMBI
Worth knowing: Assessment format, calculator rules, question numbers and number of attempts are set by your university or employer. Always follow your programme handbook. Dos is a practice app and is not affiliated with the NMC or any university.

What stays the same everywhere

Formulas, units and the discipline of checking your answer are the same everywhere. Start with the nursing numeracy exam guide, then practise with the practice questions.

Frequently asked questions

Is nursing numeracy the same in Scotland?+

The NMC regulates nurses across the UK, so the same programme standards apply. The university designs the assessment.

Is it the same in Wales?+

The same NMC standards apply. Check your university for format details.

Is it the same in Northern Ireland?+

The same NMC standards apply. Check your university for format details.

What about Ireland?+

Ireland's nurses are regulated by NMBI, not the NMC. Check your programme.

Back to the nursing numeracy exam guide →

Practise wherever you study

Dos is a practice app for drug calculations. It has practice tests of ten questions, a built-in calculator next to each question, and statistics per topic.